Tube and pipe cleaner



July 4, 1939. Q SHQBE 7 2,164,689

TUBE AND PIPE CLEANER Filed Oct. 12, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor Attorneys July 4, 1939. Q SHOBE 2,164,689

TUBE AND PIPE CLEANER Filed Oct. 12, 1937 2 SheetsSheet 2 A? Inventor A iiorneys Patented July 4, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to tools for cleaning tubes and pipes of scale and like incrustation; and an object of the present invention is to provide a tool of this character so constructed that the cleaning is accomplished by a combination hammer-like or percussive and a cutting action.

The invention together with its objects and advantages will be best understood from a study of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the tool.

Figure 2 is a front end elevational view of the tool showing the combination hammers and blades in an outward position.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the blades in an inward position, and

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings by reference numerals it will be seen that the tool, in the preferred embodiment thereof comprises a stem or shaft 5 provided at one end thereof with a substantially triangular shaped head 6. Threaded on the opposite end of the shaft 5 as at 'l is a yoke member 8 through the medium of which the shaft 5 is coupled to a driving element such as a power driven shaft or the like (not shown) Sleeved on the shaft 6 is a tubular member 9 which at one end is provided with a suitable head It. This head is of substantially triangular shape in cross section so as to leave spaces between itself and the tube in which the device is inserted for the passage of any fluid passing through the tube. At the respective opposite ends thereof the tubular member 9 has arranged therein bushings H and 12 as shown. Oil hole 4 is provided in the member 9 as shown in Figure l, for the introduction of oil, grease, or other suitable lubricant into the space between the shaft 5 and sleeve 9.

it will be understood that the tube 9 will have a tendency to rotate relative to the shaft 5 and in order to adjust the speed of rotation of the tubular member 9 relative to the shaft 5 there is provided on the tubular member and secured thereon at the desired adjustment through the medium of a set screw 13 a weight [4, heavy or light in accordance with the adjustment desired.

Pivoted to the head if) of the tubular member 9 are a plurality, in the present instance three, hammers l5 which at their free end edges are provided with bevelled scraping and chipping edges [6 as shown. As shown the beveled edges t3 slope outwardly from the front face of the hammer to the rear face thereof.

Each combination hammer and blade member i5 is pivoted to the head Ill through the medium of an eccentric bolt H and a nut l8 threaded on the bolt, such bolts providing for an easy adjustment of the hammers to compensate for 5: wear on the corners of cam 6 and the inner edges of the blade members l5. Each bolt I! is held in adjusted position by a set screw [6 which passes through the head It], as shown in full lines in Figure l and in dotted lines in Figure 3.

Also to limit the outward swinging movement of the members there is provided for each member an angular stop element l9 that has one flange thereof projecting beyond the front face of the head I!) to extend into the path of the associated tool element [5 while the other flange of the stop is apertured to accommodate a bolt I! through the medium of which the stop is secured in position on the head l0. As will be seen from Figures 2 and 3 the outer faces of the flanges of the members l9 which act as stops for the hammers, are rounded whereby these rounded portions act as guide means for inserting the device in a tube and to steer the device back into the tube after the device has been pushed entirely through the tube and it is desired to pull it back through the tube.

As clearly shown in Figures 2 and 3 the members l5 at their inner edges are provided with fiat elongated portions 20, each of which extends from a point adjacent the pivotal bolt I! to the free end of the member and from the inner end of this flat portion 2!] a sloping cam forming part is formed on the pivoted end of the member I5, these parts 20 and 20 being so formed and arranged that a corner of the cam 5 will engage the fiat part 29 and thus force the member l5 outwardy and then said corner of the cam will engage the cam part 20' which will throw the free end of the member l5 inwardly to inoperative position. Thus during the rotation of the parts the members 15 are moved outwardly and inwardly by the cam 6.

The device is used in the following manner: A flexible shaft driven from a suitable motor is connected with the yoke 8 and with the motor in operation the operator places his hand around the weight I4 and inserts the front end of the device into the tube to be cleaned. The rounded outer faces of the longitudinally extending flanges of the parts l8 act to guide the device into the tube. The device is pushed along the tube and if the end of the tube is clean or fairly so, the body composed of the parts 9 and lil will rotate but not as fast as the rotation of shaft 55 5 and cam 6, due to the resistance offered by the inertia of weight M. The hammers will be oscillated by the cam 6, which rotates in the direction of the arrows shown in Figures 2 and 3. In case the hammers encounter a thick coating of scale or other foreign matter in the tube, the friction offered by this coating to the tips of the hammers will cause the body to slow up and this will cause the hammers to strike more rapidly and more violently, their actions being so fast that the friction encountered in the obstruction on the hammers is so nearly continuous that the body cannot gain momentum in the short space of time between the strokes of the hammers in order to get started to rotate again. The weight would be needed much more in a relatively clean tube than in a tube wherein the scale is thick. The operator feeds the device through the tube and out through the opposite end thereof and then pulls the device back through the tube. In pulling the device back into the tube the members l9 act to guide the device into the tube and they also act in keeping the hammers from swinging out too far to be able to enter the tube again, said members 19 also preventing the hammers from losing their positions relative to the cam. It will be seen that the cam not only acts to throw the hammers outwardly against the tube but the cam also acts to move the hammers inwardly so as to produce a vibratory effect of the hammers on the tube.

The specific shape of the beveled edges of the hammers will remove scale from tubes without damaging the tubes and this form of hammer can have its beveled edge reground without removing the hammers from the device. These hammers will also remove scale from pits in the tubes. The entire device is very short so that it can pass around bends in a tube.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is:

1. In a device of the class described, a rotary shaft having a cam head at one end thereof, a tubular member rotatably arranged on the shaft and provided with a head, a combined hammer and chipper pivoted to the head of the tubular member, said hammer having an outwardly projecting portion at its free end formed with a beveled edge and a flat edge at its inner portion for engagement by the cam head for forcing the hammer outwardly, a cam portion on said inner part of the hammer adjacent the pivotal point for engagement by a part of the cam head to force the hammer inwardly, and a weight connected with the tubular member whereby the tendency of the head to rotate under the engagement of said cam and hammer is partially resisted by the inertia of the weight, until said hammer strikes the coated Walls of a pipe being cleaned, thereby practically stopping any r0- tation of the head.

2. In a device of the class described a rotary shaft, a cam head at one end thereof, a tubular member rotatably arranged on the shaft and provided with a head over which the cam head revolves, a hammer of elongated form extending parallel to the head of the tubular member and pivoted adjacent one end thereof to said head, the other end of the hammer having an outwardly extending beveled projection thereon, the beveled edge of which slopes outwardly from the front face to the rear face of the hammer, the inner edge of the hammer being substantially straight from the free end of the hammer to a point adjacent the pivotal point, said hammer having a cam portion adjacent the pivotal point for engagement by a part of the cam head to force the hammer inwardly, engagement of the cam head with the straight edge forcing the hammer outwardly.

3. In a device of the class described a short rotary shaft having a substantially triangular cam head on one end thereof, a short tubular member rotatably arranged on the shaft and provided with a head over which the cam head rotates, said heads being arranged at right angles to the shaft and tubular member and the head of the tubular member being of substantially triangular shape, hammers of elongated form and arranged parallel to the outer face of the head of the tubular member, pivot members pivoting the hammers adjacent one end thereof to the end portions of said triangular head, the inner portions of said ends of the hammers having cam parts for engagement by the cam head for forcing the hammers inwardly and the inner edges of the hammers having substantially straight portions for engagement by the cam head for forcing the hammers outwardly, the free ends of the hammers having outwardly extending projections provided with beveled free edges which slope from the front face of each hammer to the rear face thereof.

l. In a device of the class described a short rotary shaft having a substantially triangular cam head on one end thereof, a short tubular member rotatably arranged on the shaft and provided with a head over which the cam head rotates, said heads being arranged at right angles to the shaft and tubular member and the head of 1 the tubular member being of substantially triangular shape, hammers of elongated form and arranged parallel to the outer face of the head of the tubular member, pivot members pivoting the hammers adjacent one end thereof to the end portions of said triangular head, the inner portions of said ends of the hammers having cam parts for engagement by the cam head for forcing the hammers inwardly and the inner edges of the hammers having substantially straight portions for engagement by the cam head for forcing the hammers outwardly, the free ends of the hammers having outwardly extending projections provided with beveled free edges which slope from the front face of each hammer to the rear face thereof, and flanges at the ends of the triangular-shaped head of the tubular member engaging the inner ends of the hammers for limiting outward swinging movement of said hammers, said flanges having their outer faces h rounded for acting as guiding means for guiding the device into a tube.

5. In a device of the class described a short rotary shaft having a substantially triangular cam head on one end thereof, a short tubular member rotatably arranged on the shaft and provided with a head over which the cam head rotates, said heads being arranged at right angles to the shaft and tubular member and the head of the tubular member being of substantially triangular shape, hammers of elongated form and arranged parallel to the outer face of the head of the tubular member, pivot members pivoting the hammers adjacent one end thereof to the end portions of said triangular head, the inner portions of said ends of the hammers having cam parts for engagement by the cam head for forcing the hammers inwardly and the inner edges of the hammers having substantially straight portions for engagement by the cam ,i64,68 3 head for forcing the hammers outwardly, the part which passes through a. hammer and a set free ends of the hammers having outwardly exscrew in the triangu a p head and tending projections provided with beveled free gaging a part of the bolt for holding the bolt in edges which slope from the front face of each adjusted position.- I hammer to the rear face thereof, each pivotal GHESTER L. SHOBE. 5 member including a bolt having an eccentric 

